Is Ego Depletion Real? An Analysis of Arguments
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
An influential line of research suggests that initial bouts of self-control increase the susceptibility to self-control failure (ego depletion effect). Despite seemingly abundant evidence, some researchers have suggested that evidence for ego depletion was the sole result of publication bias and p-hacking, with the true effect being indistinguishable from zero. Here, we examine (a) whether the evidence brought forward against ego depletion will convince a proponent that ego depletion does not exist and (b) whether arguments that could be brought forward in defense of ego depletion will convince a skeptic that ego depletion does exist. We conclude that despite several hundred published studies, the available evidence is inconclusive. Both additional empirical and theoretical works are needed to make a compelling case for either side of the debate. We discuss necessary steps for future work toward this aim.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Personality and Social Psychology Review |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 2 |
Pages (from-to) | 107-131 |
Number of pages | 25 |
ISSN | 1088-8683 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01.05.2019 |
- ego depletion, p-hacking, replicability crisis, self-control, self-regulation
- Psychology